Howdy dear availees...I've known for several months that there were shenanigans afoot with the Blue Lake Cafe and Aquifer Tours business, but I never imagined that this Eviction/Closure was even being contemplated, let alone actually possible...my concerns were, as always, that me commenting on the situation could potentially and likely probably make matters worse for the business owners Trish and Gary Turner...(but now that it's a done deal, you could've hardly made it any worse 'cos the Cafe/Tours are officially extinct as of close of business Sunday 29th November 2020, and the news is publicly 'out', eg, all over social media, and it's being publicly discussed, etc, so now the gloves are off?-Ed)...absolutely, but I'm not seeing/hearing it reported on ABC South East Radio or in the Border Watch Online or the SE Voice or former MGC Councillor Josh Lynagh's Limestone Coast Community News, etc, in fact, I can't see/hear it being reported anywhere other than on people's social media...and a General Language Warning here 'cos it's hard nay impossible to engage with this issue without referring to the rancidly fucking corrupt Mt Gambier City Council, and specifically, their definably punitive and retributional fuckery as it relates to MGCC's perpetual conflict with the Turners...
First point, to correct what has been opined in some social media, the Turners have not decided to close or retire or whatevs, they have been evicted by Mt Gambier City Council...(fuckers! Council that is, not the Turners-Ed)...yeah, I think we all know who you meant...anyhoos, like many tourism-focussed businesses, the Turners have undoubtedly suffered as a consequence of COVID-19 restrictions, eg, as I understand it there has been no capacity to provide Aquifer Tours for 6 months, even possibly for longer, and there have been on again/off again restrictions about operating the cafe side of things, eg, only take-aways and/or no inside customers, social distancing regulations, etc...(but regardless, the Turners have continued to provide whatevs level of service that they are/were actually allowed, and continued to be the focal point of a community-based social group, or rather group's', plural-Ed)...indeed they have/did...I don't consider myself a part of any of said groups, but over the years I have spent a fair bit of time at/around the cafe, eg, walking the dog weekly, or my once a month splurge on a cup of cafe coffee experience, where I'd sit out on the forecourt and watch the world go by...(and when you were involved with the Anti-Flouridation protests-Ed)...yep, they were excellent in how respectfully they dealt with us protestors who were potentially albeit unintentionally interferring with their business operations...
It was at this time that Gary carefully explained to myself and other protestors the very strict intricacies of the Tours contract with SA Water, namely, that the site was Mt Gambier's water supply and run by SA Water and that the 'tours contract' was therefore with SA Water...due to the sensitivities and security issues about protecting the water supply, etc, access to the entire Blue Lake area, as defined by the boundary fence, that access was/is prohibited without specific approval...and the 'tours contract' was itself such an 'approval' but still with very strict conditions...as explained, and it remains my understanding, the 'tours contract' is specifically between SA Water and the Turners, not with or directly involving MGCC...(does that mean that tours could still happen, albeit not via the cafe building?-Ed)...well technically, I believe that would be possible, but I'm not sure how you'd make that work...(and what about all the people who get wedding photos down there, or even get married there?-Ed)...well I'll guesstimate but not state as fact that they could probably contact the Turners directly and possibly organise that, maybe...but there's another cohort of peeps who are now potentially denied utilising this facility, newly weds...
I've taken various visiting family members along to do the Aquifer Tour, and it is/was quite a surreal experience...(particularly when you've walked the rim so many times and then see it from that completely different perspective of being at water level looking up-Ed)...indeed, and you know there's all that traffic rushing past up above and people walking, etc, yet down by the water it's all quiet and calm, and it's cooler and there's little if any wind, etc, it's a whole different environment to that at road/path level...(and how much bigger the lake looks from water level-Ed)...absolutely, and with that comes a genuine sense of the size of the explosion that created it...(mate, I'm not great with close spaces, as you know, but I do/did love the bit where you go in the glass lift down to the long tunnel that comes out just above the water, and that lift is actually in the old original well shaft-Ed)...yep, you're literally travelling not just through the history of the site, but right in it, you're in the well and can see all the blockwork, etc, it is/was a fantastic experience...
So over the years I've been there for relatively brief visits, but collectively long enough to have a fair idea of what the Aquifer Tours and Cafe and the Turners provided to the community, and that is, Mt Gambier's and arguably the South East's premier Tourism experience...(and as above, much more than that to boot-Ed)...indeed, I cannot imagine how many tourists went through that cafe as their first-stop information point 'cos it was located right by the lake...I've witnessed dozens of people go in for info but not buy anything, and others who have made purchases of the various memorabilia and/or locally produced arts and crafts...(well there's another benefit of the cafe, the numerous local artisans who sold their wares through there, they've now lost that outlet for both sales and public exposure-Ed)...absolutely, I was talking to one such person last time I was up there, and there is/was nearly 30 different artists with items on display/sale, so now they've all lost their outlet/exposure...(and what about the school tours and the bus loads of pensioners, etc, etc-Ed)...yep, all them and many others we've failed to mention specifically, they're all affected/denied...
And here's a li'l gem I've poached from the social media ether, 'cos it neatly defines the rancid corruption of MGCC, corruption enabled by deceits, manipulation and a fundamental knowledge that no-one is going to hold them to account for their corrupt fuckery...
***and unreservedly apologies, 'cos in my Interwebby ineptitude I forgot to save this exchange and now I can't find it...(damn!-Ed)...exactly, so apologies and I'll just have to address what was written as best I can remember and post that original stuff when and if I can find it again...sorry...***
Basically, in a discussion forum/post a person claimed to have written to MGCC late last week expressing their displeasure about the Aquifer Tours/Cafe Eviction/Closure, and then posted Council's deeply disingenuous response...MGCC claims that the Crown Lands Lease for that site has lapsed, and therefore they had no choice but to evict, and made a disingenuous attempt to thank and praise the Turners...(bollocks! 100% bollocks-Ed)...indeed it is Ed, for years now the MGCC has treated the Turners with base contempt and undisguised animosity...MGCC went on to claim that they have 'a plan for Tourism', including a plan for that site...
So anyhoos, and for several reasons, I know that that's absolute fuckin' deceits layered upon fuckin' lies...firstly, in all of my dealings with MGCC, it's their default functioning, straight-out lies and carefully crafted deceits, motivated by their Institutionalised Corruption of crass Nepotism and/or Insider Trading...if that Crown Land Lease has expired, then 1) what's happening with the building? it's my understanding that Council would/will be liable/responsible for clearing the entire site, toilets et al...and 2) how the fuck is Council gunna' organise/establish another enterprise at that site/building if they supposedly no longer have the lease for that site and therefore the building ain't there, etc...and 3) if you go past the obvious lie about the lease and therefore MGCC still have the legal capacity to have a business there, why in the living fuck would you destroy a highly successful business with 30 years experience and huge social connection/capital, etc, to set-up something else...(which by definition will have to be virtually identical to what's just been closed-Ed)...bingo! it's a self-proving lie that consumes itself whilst heading right back to where it began...
I have personally witnessed the sort of contempt, abuse, and/or neglect that MGCC have displayed toward the Turners and the premier tourism facility in Mt Gambier...I'm fairly sure that this animosity goes right back to the development of the current structure, but potentially even pre-dates that, but nothing defines it better that the notorious incident with (then) MGCC CEO Greg Muller a decade ago...(is that the one where Greg mate, where he went to the Cafe and tried to sweet-talk Gary into allowing a film crew down into the lake area, but it all went horribly pear-shaped?-Ed)...yep, that's the one...regular availees may well remember back when MGCC, suddenly at a meeting and without any public consultation, unilaterally added $3million to the cost of the Main Corner Project by adding a $1m commercial kitchen, extensive external lighting and projectors, etc, and by commissioning a $750,000 movie...(well it's just money, just Ratepayer's money-Ed)...indeed, well as part of that, the film crew rocked-up to the cafe 'politely' demanding access to do their li'l filmy thingy...however, due to the very strict contractual conditions with SA Water regarding operating those tours and/or any access to the site, which is Mt Gambier's water supply source, etc, the Turners were legally obliged to deny that access...and that's where it should have ended, but didn't...
The film peeps 'politely' insisted then 'politely' threatened that they'd just ring their mate Greg and get him to 'force' the Turners to provide access, and then Greg was thusly summoned...so up rocks Greg and he initially tried to sweetly coerce the Turners, but when that didn't work, basically 'cos the Turners had no choice but to refuse, as per their contractual obligations, well then Greg went to the 'bribe' phase of his attempted negotiations...(that's the bit where he offered preferential treatment on any future lease negotiations, etc?-Ed)...spot on...(and that could also be seen as a thinly-veiled threat to make problems with future lease issues, etc-Ed)...indeed it could, and because the Turners still had no choice but to refuse, that's exactly where Greg went next, straight to a straight-out threat to make trouble for them with their lease/business if they didn't acquiesce...(and how'd that go down?-Ed)...well I wasn't there, but I can't imagine Gary or Trish wearing that sortta' crap, not even a bit, and sure enough Greg was seen to leave, get in his car, do an angry u-turn burn-out aways up to the corner, and then do another angry burn-out off down Bay Rd...now as I said, I wasn't present for that incident, I happened past there for a walk roughly 10 minutes later, but there were several people there having coffee, etc, and they were still discussing it with intense mirthiness...
As they had just witnessed and then explained to me, Greg had tried to shmooze his way to getting what he wanted, but then when that didn't work, and ignoring the very strict contractual restrictions that he was having repeatedly explained to him, he went to bribery and very quickly to blatant threats...and this all happened in clear earshot of those patrons, Greg didn't even try to be subtle about it...this incident was a running joke and source of great amusement for several months after...(it's also been a running joke in recent times that Council's $200,000pa Tourism Officer never ever attended the Aquifer Tours/Cafe, and that nobody from Council ever goes near the place-Ed)...well quite, years back, whilst waiting to do the tour, I witnessed former Mayor Andrew Lee and a senior Council employee just walk right past, and I was there having a coffee when (then) MGCC CEO Mark 'Mighty Marky Mark McShenanigans' McShane drove up, marched into the toilet, wife trailing behind him, then stormed back to his car and drove off before his missus had even shut her door...stopped there to use the toilets but didn't even stick his head in the door to say howdy, and was clearly a very angry man, about something...(well that was probably about you mate, he's such a fanboy of our work-Ed)...fair call, but there was a whole other vibe goin' on, and this stuff goes back well before I was on the scene...
It is my understanding, let's say fact, that despite the problematic relationship with MGCC the Turners were fundamentally responsible for initiating, designing, drafting and actually substantially funding the current Cafe building and attached toilet facilities...(does that include the 'emotional investment'?-Ed)...I think that that's a given mate, a substantial given...and previously there was a small wooden hut as a ticket office and there wasn't even a toilet there...it is no exaggeration to say that Mt Gambier residents and tourists alike can thank the Turners for that building, particularly the toilets...they have worked tirelessly, literally 364 days a year, for 3 decades, to provide not only Mt Gambier's premier tourism experience, but a focal point for social cohesion and artistic expression, etc, etc...it's such a part of the community, I've seen locals step-in to volunteer to help out on the rare occasions the Turners were absent due to ill health or funerals, etc...it is/was a community institution...
And now they've been evicted and had their business destroyed by the thuggish and corrupt Mt Gambier City Council...(mate, I'd guarantee it that MGCC has got some mate or Councillor's son-in-law or nephew or whoevs lined-up to shove in there and effectively steal what the Turners spent decades establishing-Ed)...I'll take that bet, all the indicators are there and it's exactly how the corrupt Mt Gambier City Council operates, fuck the plebs, it's all about profitting Councillors' own families and/or businesses and/or their mates, etc...and I'd just like to sum-up the general public discourse about Council's actions regarding this closure/eviction thusly...fuck you Mt Gambier City Council you corrupt fucks...End Language Warning...
This does not end here, and no apologies for the anger and language, this is an absolute bloody disgrace...I will track-down that social media stuff I was referring to and re-visit this outrageous piece of economic vanadlism that will cost the entire community...coming into Mt Gambier's main tourism season, and with COVID-19 restrictions being continually lifted, and Mt Gambier's premier tourism experience and info point, a critical cornerstone of the entire South East tourism experience, that will be shut...just imagine what picture this paints to those many thousands of tourists and visitors when they rock-up to the Blue Lake and there's an empty building and no tours and no info, etc...
Tomorrow: Just More Angry Hippy Cuttin' Crook About Somethin'
Can't wait to see how and even if the complicit Mt Gambier media reports this, and most likely runs protective interference for MGCC about this story of Council's appalling conduct and associated deceits and the immense and widespread damage this has caused and will cause into the future...
I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog...cheers and laters...
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